This is not a pipe.

It is merely an image of a pipe.

René Magritte

"Oh! The cleverness of me!"

Peter Pan

~Ferdinando

By the Way...

That was the 100th post... 

Cheer!

A King of Infinite Space

"I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams."

That right there was said by good old William Shakespeare. I'm thinking Great English wordsmith, my enemies and crew are thinking Shake! Spear! Quick, name that flick! Oh, sorry, I was saying something, wasn't I? Right. So the above quote was said by the prince of Denmark himself in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare and that is one of my favorite lines from Shakespeare. Hamlet is a classic. There have been over 60 film adaptations of Hamlet and over 21 television adaptations have been created since 1907. Intense, right? See the things google can teach you...?

With that many adaptations abound there have been a ton of actors that have attempted to put their own spin on the tormented prince. Whether they play him young and immature, dirty and crazy, or older and overly thoughtful, there is always something interesting to look for that the actors bring to the character. 

I think I have always enjoyed Hamlet in the same way I have enjoyed Catcher in the Rye. Hamlet was always my Holden Caulfield. The tormented youth. Both aware and vastly afraid of the future and what must become of him. I think Hamlet was the first teenage trouble maker.  A little depressed, a little rebellious, and a lot more fear than they were both willing to admit. 

Next in line to take the heavy crown is Emile Hirsch. 

I love that guy. He comes off as a very smart man for the job. Cute, but not too much. A great actor. Smart. Mini-crush, I get it. Maybe you should consider the parts he's played in. Milk, the Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys, Speed Racer, Into the Wild, Taking Woodstock. He's a diverse actor with a lot of talent under his belt. Catherine Hardwick is set to direct this version and its set to release in 2011. Can I admit that I am definitely going to keep my eyes on this one? 

Other Hamlets:

Ethan Hawke, Hamlet (2000)

Jude Law, stage adaptation, Hamlet (2009)

Mel Gibson, Hamlet (1990)

Obviously, these aren't the only people that have played Hamlet. Kenneth Branagh more than quite successfully portrayed Hamlet in 1996 with a very entertaining rendition. Overall, I don't think there is any right way or wrong way to play the legendary character, but in no way will I give up on my own interpretation. It's why I love him.

Get out of here. Go read yourself some Shakespeare.

~Ferdinando        

Just One of Those Days

- I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option. - More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me. - Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. - Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk. - I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. - The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again. - Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft. - There is a great need for sarcasm font. - Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what in the world was going on when I first saw it. - I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it. - How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? - I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in. - The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text. - Was learning cursive really necessary? - Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say". - I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger. - Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying. - My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro. - Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart". - How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said? - I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers! - Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm. ..Goonies" - What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other? - While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart. - MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. - Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died. - I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water. - Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. - I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired. - Bad decisions make good stories - Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do! - If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible. - Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem.... - You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day. - Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection. - There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far. - I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to. - "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever. - I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?' - While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed. - I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away? - I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste. - I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes. - Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles... - As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists. - Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. - I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call. - Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it. - Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys, finding what they need in a giant purse, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet a million dollars everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time... - My 4-year old brother asked me in the car the other day "What would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that? - It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text. - I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit. - I think the freezer deserves a light as well. - I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay. ~Ferdinando

Calling All Screenwriters

Right. So I love to write. I have loved to write for as long as I could remember and I think it goes hand in hand with my love of reading. While I have fiddled around with different types of writing, one avenue that I always found interesting was screenwriting. That, of course, comes from my love of movies. [I am a complete pop culture freak as you can see.]
Screenwriting is different from other kinds of writing because of the focus on all things visual. I can't stress that enough. You only write what you see. You cannot say:

Michael got in the car and turned on his headlights. He 

began driving towards Lori's house when his phone rang.

Why not? Because how do I know he was driving towards Lori's house? Even if the previous scene had him telling a friend, "I'm going to Lori's house now," you still can't put it in the description. Instead you must just say that he got in the car and pulled out and blah blah blah - what do I see.
Interesting, right? I love it.

I have read quite a few articles and books on screenwriting and my favorite book BY FAR has been Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing.

This is a book that was recommended to me by a man that worked in "the business" for over 50 years. Apparently its highly regarded in many writer circles. Lajos Egri writes from the perspective of a playwright but I wouldn't brush it off on that fact alone. No matter if you are a playwright, novelist, or screenwriter, I am sure that this book would work wonders on your thinking as a writer.

Screenwriting is a profession that has many many rules. From what I can gather from this book, playwriting does as well. What makes writing so amazing, however, is the pushing of the boundaries. This means finding your creativity in a rigid formula of how to write. It seems claustrophobic but it is freeing. Once you understand the basic rules of how to space it, how to present dialogue, inserts, descriptions, extensions, transitions, shots, and all the do's and dont's that come with the Hollywood club, it's up to you to make it work.

The Art of Dramatic Writing is not a screenwriting book. Once again, Egri does not tell you the rules, so if you don't know them you will need to find another way to find out. The book does tell you how to make sense of your ideas of writing in a way that's enlightening and attractive. I found myself carrying this book around to read on the subway or in between classes. Just for kicks.

~Ferdinando

The Best Thing About Shutter Island is the Music: A Review

..Not to say that the movie was bad. Actually, quite the opposite, in fact. But I couldn't take my mind off the sound. You disagree? You think the buildup during times when there was nothing to build up to was horrible. Oh man. But didn't you notice even more then when there was no sound at all? When all you heard was the dripping of water from a leaky pipe? That was more suspenseful than anything that plays in the background of modern horror films, when as soon as the music plays you decide whether or not you wanted to cover your eyes.

It's a tonal score, there's no melody in the whole soundtrack. Robbie Robertson and Martin Scorcese collaborated to create an  unconventional score in a contemporary film that you wouldn't much expect it from.
Fantastic. I certainly didn't expect it.

As for the movie, I think it began slower than I wanted it to but eventually it picked up and even the anticipation of the frightening parts didn't stop me from being surprised. The film noir style was slightly cheesy at times but overall a fresh take on a genre that feels like it's being beaten over the head again and again with the same story.

And didn't you love the contrasting colors between real life and dreaming??

The acting is phenomenal, but I have always stood by the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio is a fantastic actor. It even managed to pull in $14 Mil on opening day. This puts it on par with the Departed financially, but I don't think anyone would really say it makes it there in terms of quality.

Not many people will be surprised at the ending, but everyone should pay attention to the last line DiCaprio's character says before the end of the film. Bloody Brilliant.

~Ferdinando

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

-Goethe

'bout as bashful as a tribal dance

Is it me, or was there something very indigenously arctic about Rodarte Fall 2010? 

Seriously Mulleavy sisters 1 and 2, I kiss the ground you tread.

I want it all.

-Francois

personal jesus

I'm not a religious girl. Eleven years of Private Catholic schooling didn't manage to penetrate a deep enough faith in me. I do, however, acknowledge the fact that the simple doctrine of "love thy neighbor" had a large impact on a lot of my beliefs and the way I choose to live my life. And why not? Most religions in the world include the core beliefs of love, equality, empathy, etc. If you should take anything from any denomination, it's just that: be a decent human being.
I believe (to a certain extent) that religion is good for humanity. It offers a sort of discipline and it gives you the ability to believe in something pure when the world around you is crap.
Having said this, and keep in mind I'm a HUGE fashion advocate, I don't agree with current trend that seems to picking up speed in fashion: using Jesus Christ as a statement.
It's a rare thing to see someone take their beliefs and execute them in everyday life the way they were supposed to be carried out, in the simplest and most selfless way. Rare, but it occurs. So when you choose to take an symbol of innate love, as big as Jesus, and turn him into a fashion trend as simple as the latest Alexander Wang bag, to be discarded for a new one next season, it demeans and lessens the power that He has on those few souls that choose to live their lives exactly how He intended. This is not to say this is the first time this has happened, or that I'm really surprised. It probably won't be the last. I'm all for creativity, and pushing the boundaries. Sky's the limit, especially when it comes to fashion. But we need to draw a line here. Some things are sacred. And if we live in a world as messed up as our own, and there are still people who believe we can love one another no matter how shitty we act, who are we to tell them "Your beliefs are crap so I'm going to put it on a magazine cover and make lots of dough."
I don't mean to get on my soapbox, but com'on man, fashion can do better than this. Case and point, Alexander Mcqueen. That son of a bitch made history in fashion, and he never sunk so low as to crush somebody's spirit to make quick buck.

-Francois

Confidentially...

I went movie shopping today.

East of Eden

Streetcar Named Desire

                                                            



                                                              Rebel Without A Cause

                                                            


Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Brothers Bloom

Don't you LOVE new movies? I've only ever seen Brothers Bloom so this was quite a successful day.

~Ferdinando

RIP Alexander McQueen

You Felt Like You Were Disappearing Every Time You Crossed A Road

In light of the late J.D. Salinger's Death just last week, many discussions have cropped up in regards to the novel that made him famous, Catcher in the Rye. One of these articles comes from the NY Times, which I found devastatingly interesting, enough to share at least.

The debate began with a simple question: Is The Catcher in the Rye relevant to today's youth culture?

It was generally discussed that with today's youth lives perforated with social media, could a novel that allows for loneliness and isolation find an audience? Apparently the answer is no.

It is suggested by some that there are no longer "teenagers," in the sense that the middle area between adulthood and childhood is gone, but rather teens are younger adults with perfectly planned lives or are encountering dangers that would have once only been seen as adult temptations. It is also said that teens today are never really alone, and therefore would not have ever experienced true isolation. Another says that this generation is exposed to everyone's personal dramas everyday that his jaded views of life have been experienced by them [us?] since pre-teen age and therefore Holden's drama is nothing unusual or interesting.

Damn it! 

Why would they ask today's adults a question so obviously formed for todays younger generations??

If this is not a perfect example of the division between adult and youth categories that what else is? 

I think it was best said by a Reader's comment down below:

"I am 23, and when I read this book for the first time in high school, I had the same sort of reaction to it typical of the professional commentators above. I dont think today's teens, who I am only slightly older than, would find the book so irrelevant as the panel seems to think. There is still angst, and rebellion, and suspicion of the hypocrisy of adults. These things dont go away because of twitter, or text messages (just think, passing notes in class, but quicker and sneakier..), or being over-scheduled. Overscheduled and micromanaged are just new ways of saying that adults heap expectations on children who often don't want to meet them, same now as then if just even more extreme today.

Perhaps the panel thinks the youth of today won't treasure the book as they once did, because they themselves are now looking at it and their own youths through the glasses of adulthood. The comments seem to ring to the tune of, "Those youth of today, they just aren't youth like we were!"'

Stoked about the Strokes

Word is out. Recording is being finalized. Get ready to scream. The Strokes are back. 2010.

Seriously. I could scream.

~Ferdinando

and the stars fell out of the sky

Shadowplay by Heather Goldberg has to be one of the radest jewelry lines I've ever come across. I don't wear jewelry often, it strikes my nerves after a while and I start stripping it off. The cold, hard metal plus my claustrophobic tendencies lead me to stray away. Ms. Heather Heather however uses silk, yarn, mohair, etc. to construct the beautifully conjured strands for the neck pieces. Inspired by space, crystal formations, and spiderwebs, she weaves Swarovski crystals into the strands to create something truly galactic. I legit just want to put one on, turn on some Zoe, gaze at the stars on Machu Picchu.

-Francois

Hey Girl, :Pick Up Your Ears

Someone can work these.

But its definitely not me.

Babette Epaulette 

She's into making shoulder jewelry art as well, which rocks me a little bit more than the ear and 
shade fringe she puts out, but I figured after my Showoff Shoulder post from December, I 
should cool it with my fierce craze when it comes to shoulder adornment. I swear, I'm getting 
help. Or at least my soon-to-be psych major roommate once talked to me about it. Or maybe 
she just asked me to take out the trash. Whatever.

While I obviously dig the shoulder stuff, I think maybe the rest of the fringe creations are more 
Lady Gaga-worthy. And Lady Gaga scares me. Its probably the fake blood look. That shit keeps 
me up at night. Whatever blows your hair back.

~Ferdinando

Shake a LEG

Look at that girl. The one with the legs. 

What is it?

What are those?

They're beautiful.

They're frightening.

I've never seen anything like them.

I want some.

Les Queues de Sardines

~Ferdinando

My two cents

I am firm believer that when you need money the most, it comes to you in unexpected ways.
I swear that knocking on wood prevents most negative workings of fate.
I think a purse should never be empty of peppermints.
I swear that if you're strong enough to make things happen based on the grounds that you want it bad enough, then you are strong enough to say no to something you are sure you should not do. Sometimes it is just that easy and just that hard.
I think you need to make sure your own oxygen mask is attached securely before you can help someone else with theirs and that big problems only require many small solutions, so one step at a time is fast enough.
I know that now is the time to change your world. Today, not tomorrow.
I believe youth should be reckless in the best way possible.
And while courage is the only way to move through life, the best thing to do is keep moving and recognize that courage can be silent as well as loud.

So next time you are inspired, try and imagine how you define this life. The funny thing is, many will disagree with me, but that only reflects another belief of mine.

You shouldn't judge others to the best of your ability, because our lives are made up of choices and if you make a mistake, you can only learn and ask for forgiveness, and offer it when others do the same.

~Ferdinando

Goodbye, JD Salinger

"I'm sick of it. I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody"

JD Salinger, the writer of the famed and cult classic Catcher in the Rye as well as other short stories, died Wednesday, January 27, 2010.  He was 91 years old.

I adore Catcher in the Rye and when I first read it, I saw something in Holden Caulfield that I unknowingly thought worth saving. The manifesto of disenchanted youth and sometimes an unsavory explanation for violence. While it's hard to talk about the book without mentioning Mark David Chapman - the assassin of John Lennon - or John Hinckley Jr - who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan - it is easier to identify with the lost boy who couldn't see past growing up, the last and the best of the Peter Pans.


~Ferdinando

Jersey Shore...

...For Little People!



I do this fondly for Hans and Francois.

~Ferdinando

Burberry Spring 2010

I was watching the behind the scenes of the shoot for the Burberry Spring 2010 Campaign with Emma Watson, her brother Alex Watson, George Craig, and Matt Gilmour and I became a bit smitten with the models...

... okay it was really only one model.

See, I knew Emma Watson from Harry Potter (most obviously) and her other work. I knew Alex Watson from being Emma Watson's brother and I knew Matt Gilmour from his father - a Pink Floyd musician, but I had no idea who George Craig was. You may scoff and shake your head, but it doesn't change my obvious naivety, so I decided to do a bit of research. Turns out our unknown man-model was in fact a musician in the band One Night Only. Born July 1990 and rated #47 in GQ's 'The 50 Best Dressed Men in Britain' 2009. He enjoys long walks on the beach and pina coladas... okay I lied about the last bit, but I figured since I already sounded like the corny dating stats you would get from a personal ad that I should commit wholeheartedly.

He seems like one to keep an eye on. Because his band expects to release their second album in 2010 and with that take on the US and they aren't exactly lacking in the talent department. Plus Americans will dig their over-the-pond accents and catchy hooks.

~Ferdinando

We Must Con-fur

Raquel Zimmermann was shot in a spread of French Vogue completely decked out in fur.

Recently. As in November 2009.

The shots are animalistic, unusual, and wildly interesting from a visual perspective.

There was once a time when fur was completely in no-man's land and even before that there was the other extreme where fur was exhibited as the highest quality of glamor. Now, however, we have hit a curious juxtaposition. Fur is making the most unexpected comeback.

I'm not offering my opinion, just pointing out the curious trend. Fur coats, fur trim.

The question is when fur is deemed appropriate. New? Only when vintage? Only when faux? Never?

If you happen to be against wearing fur and you have some old fur coats, etc that you don't know what to do with, you could always donate them to a wildlife rehabilitation center. They use old fur to soothe the orphan animals. A small act that may get the cycle of fur back to its origins. A small retribution, if you seek to offer one.

But if you're for fur, this year it seems to be more about fun and youthful ways to wear it. Color. Lots of color. Blue. Pink. Orange. Red. Of course, some may prefer the sleek silver or ink-black and it is you, my friends, that should then make sure you pair it with a dress with more pop. Be young and youthful and forget the fur of your grandmother's closet.

Whatever your intention, whatever your inclination, I wish you luck. Because, darling, who am I to judge either way?

~Ferdinando

Welcome to a New Year. Adieu to an old Decade.

31 Days of Oscar 2010

I love Turner Classic Movies.

I think I may have mentioned it.

I love the films they play and the way that they seem to love the movies they show.

Which is why I look forward to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar. Every year, during February, they present old films in a new way, uncut and uninterrupted.

I would recommend you clicking on that link above. It blows me away.

And that is why I love Turner Classic Movies.

Because even though I'm young and I'm surrounded by a generation and a world that pushes forward to create the future, there still is amazing beauty in the past and, while I never experienced it, for just a minute I can imagine the way the world once was and will always be in that captured bit of moment that will never age, even as we move farther and farther away from it.

~Ferdinando

American Idiot on Broadway

Anyone Else Think This is Awesome?

Or is it just me?

American Idiot - you know, Green Day's concept album of disillusionment in America, a rock opera to be told - is coming to Broadway.

Anyone excited other than me? I'm getting crickets over here...

Let's break it down. The concept as a Broadway show has been rumored to be in development for months and months already, but it was just announced yesterday that it was actually happening.

The St. James Theatre is playing host to the show for a very very short amount of time. The opening is March 24, 2010 and closes April 20, 2010. No one has been cast yet, but the buzz is building. According to the LA Times the plot follows the journey of the protagonist Johnny, a modern-day Christ figure who travels from a suburban nowhere to the big city, where he must choose between love, drugs and other existential dilemmas. The story also follows a character to the Middle East.

The show comes to us from Berkeley Repertory Theatre where it shattered all of the theater's records and was extended twice, so it's expected to do pretty well.

Check it.

~Ferdinando